There’s no denying that Obi-Wan Kenobi is a legend whose spirit lived on to inspire those who came after him.
And while Ewan McGregor’s portrayal of the Jedi Master in the Star Wars prequels is transcendent, it’s probably a bit much to call it a religious experience.
Nevertheless, a portrait of McGregor as Obi-Wan has fooled more than one person into thinking he was Jesus.
A viral prank
A Utah man named Ryan decided to pull a prank on his parents, gifting them this picture of Obi-Wan for their walls.
Excuse me, do you have a moment to talk about our Lord and Savior, Obi Wan Kenobi?
The Mormon family is no stranger to displaying Christ imagery in their home and both mom and dad seemed happy with – if slightly suspicious of – their son’s gift.
They did, however, hang it on their wall, causing Ryan to wonder just how he was going to get out of the situation he had created without upsetting his parents.
He first shared the prank in a now-legendary Reddit post.
I’ve made a huge mistake. Mom loves her Jesus Christmas present and I’m not sure how to get out of this thing alive when she figures out. from r/PrequelMemes
Our lord and savior…Ewan McGregor?
According to Insider, Ryan was inspired by Reddit user u/kwar42 who had made a joke about McGregor’s Obi-Wan looking a lot like Jesus a few years back.
“It stuck out to me as looking like a picture we had growing up of Jesus,” he told the outlet. “I kind of chased that thought to, how funny would it be if my parents didn’t recognize who it was and actually hung it up on the wall. I have always tried to get away with things or pull some pranks on my family members and this seemed perfect.”
Ryan’s parents aren’t the first to be fooled. Another Redditor shared a similar joke his brother played on their parents who, for three months and counting, had not noticed that Obi-Wan had replaced Jesus on their table.
Shout out to my brother for replacing a picture of Jesus at my parent’s house with a picture of Obi-Wan Kenobi as portrayed by Ewan McGregor. Three months and counting without them noticing. from r/funny
Even the Mormon Church has featured Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan on the cover of a Sunday program, though the designer insists it was meant as a joke all along.
And Jesus sayeth “If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” from r/exmormon
The video proof
Ryan posted the video proof of his mother and father opening their Christmas gift, though they did wonder why exactly he was smiling as they opened it.
But Ryan got away with it for at least a few weeks. When he posted again on Reddit, he explained how the gag ended.
It turns out that after he was contacted by Insider, he decided to come clean to his dad, recalling “I called him up and he let me know that he knew something was off and that he had even inspected the artist’s signature as he swore it looked just like Obi-wan Kenobi from Star Wars. He loved it! We laughed about it quite a bit.”
Eventually, he had a hilarious plaque made for the painting.
I had some people asking what was on the plaque underneath the Obi wan/Jesus pic so here is a close up. from r/PrequelMemes
Now it hangs over the fireplace in his own home. Apparently, mom has had enough.
It’s not much, but Friday nights with the boys are my favorite. from r/PrequelMemes
Be sure to scroll down below for the video of Ryan’s parents opening their prank portrait.
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